Chapter 2: If Only You Were Here a Second Ago
At The University
Professor Archibald, the archaeologist of the one of the city's University was teaching a course tonight in the library. He was keen on getting it over with, after all the entire day had been overly strenuous with all the exams coming up for all the students next week. The students wouldn't arrive yet until another half hour, but already people who were meant for the course came, however they took there time looking at some books they could possibly sign out.
The course would be different tonight. The Professor knew. After what he discovered, he wanted to share the discovery with more and more people. It would change the way of people's views of the world. No more science. More questions. But wait, no. He would be put down as a mad man. Perhaps it was so? Perhaps they wouldn't believe him.
As Archibald pondered on whether he should tell his class, a lurking shadow slouched a few feet away from him. Something was hiding behind a shelf of books and it was cloaked dragging what looked like an overly sized oil lamp.
"Shhhhhh" it said to the oil lamp. "We don't want the little lambs to know we are here yet, now do we?" its voice was whispery and wheezy and it then walked more towards the professor, but still out of sight.
Archibald took a little stroll down the rows of books, whistling slightly and occasionally peering at a book cover that somehow interested him. He kept thinking about-
A hand reached out and grabbed his neck. He had no time to gasp, but now his heart pounded furiously. He was pressed against a wall, and the hand kept squeezing his airway. He was unable to breathe.
"Professor," it hissed in utter discussed. "You of all people shouldn't be lurking in the dark."
Archibald made a few sputtering noises. He noticed that whatever it was, it had eyes all over its arms and hand. "I-I-
"We know what you stole from us. We want it back, Professor, we want it back."
"Wha-Wha-What are you?"
"Something you'll never know, Mr. Archibald… Something you'll never know." With that note, the cloaked figure had a spear come out his other hand, and he stabbed Mr, Archibald through the neck.
Blood bubbled out of the wound and Mr, Archibald collapsed leaving a blood stain on the wall behind him. He was clutching his neck in agony and became deprived of air. Finally he was suffocated from his own blood and lay still. Very still.
Someone must have heard him because voices were coming just a little way from the area the thing stood. It brought the Oil Lamp up to its face.
"Now," the thing seemed to be demanding the lamp "demolish the entire building and the people in it, but leave this spot untouched. We want them to know we are here." The thing raised the lamp over its head then dropped it on the ground so it split into thousands of fragments.
What appeared to be little firefly like fairy things were released from the lamp and were laughing and giggling.
That night, the university really burned down, and all you could hear was the tormented screams of the students, being burned to death.
"Ahhhh!" Helloy arose from where he was sleeping and breathed in short gasps. He was drenched in sweat and his eyes were wide open as if he'd seen a ghost. "The roof… the roof…The roof-
"…was on fire?" Liz was on the other side of his bed pulling the covers over her head. She was obviously awoken by Hellboy's sudden jerk and this did not please her.
"Holy crap, how did you know?"
"It's a song, Hellboy…" There was an awkward silence that followed.
"…I knew that… but, literally! The roof was on fire!"
"It was just a bad dream Hellboy, go back to sleep." She mumbled then became still, breathing as if she were in a deep sleep.
"It seemed so real." Hellboy became deep in thought. He was trying to make out what he had seen but it really didn't do much. Blazing books everywhere, people running around frantically, a random firefly thing just flew past and-
That was it! The firefly! That must have been where the fire ignited.
"…Pfffft. What am I talking about? Dreams have no significance." He lay back down in the position he originally was before and then closed his eyes. What seemed like seconds later, Abe's voice came crashing into the room.
"RISE and SHINE sleepy heads!" He threw a pillow at Hellboy's face. "I know this is fairly abnormal of me to barge into your room at this early hour, but Manning told me-
"Manning can go to hell." Hellboy muttered from under his pillow.
"Now, now, Hellboy." Abe pointed out "You're technically from Hell, so I don't think it would be very appeasing if you two were to meet down there again."
"I hate it when you're right." Hellboy added, with a tired tone. He took the pillow off his head and went to face Liz on the other side of him. This would be fun. He urged Liz and began poking her in the face. Abe left the room. "Come on Liz. Get up."
She growled and pushed his hand away so he couldn't poke her anymore. "Get your F-ing hands off me."
"Lizzy-poops! Get your butt in gear."
"I told you to go back to sleep!" She was evidently not awake yet, seeing that she had no idea that Abe told them to get going.
"Manning's orders."
Her eyes flicked up so fast and straight to Hellboy. "Crap, what time is it?" She asked with a worried expression on her face.
"I dunno, like 7:30 or something?" Hellboy stated.
"Shit Shit Shit! We were supposed to wake up half an hour ago." She immediately got up and got dressed brushed her teeth etc. and Hellboy just laid back and did everything slowly. He could probably piss Manning off this way. That after all, was what he was meant to do.
The number of agents roaming the hallways of the B.P.R.D. fluctuated for different occasions. Today seemed oddly busy. It was probably because they were getting three new extraordinary people, therefore causing people to panic and forget why they were even going to room 319, or the library or wherever else they were going. People were scared of them? Why?
Anyway, Liz and Hellboy had to push through a crowd of them when they walked to the place they had decided to meet Manning and even Agent Myers apparently. This would be where they meet the three agents.
In Tom Manning's point of view it was totally different. He was pacing back and forth thinking about what he could say to these agents to make him sound like a convincing demanding Director of the B.P.R.D.
"Ah Miss Cohen, Mr. Dweller and Mr. Ben Moshe. I think you will find this stay rather pleasing and you will find your head quarters just down the hall and right to your left. By the way, I think you are freaks and you have no right to even be in this world because somehow I know you will act exactly like the intolerant Hellboy. However, it's just you and the cripple that I have no interest in. Besides, you for all I know could be a ticking time bomb, Miss. Cohen. You on the other hand, Jude Ben Moshe, I could use you quite frequently. You could do my paper work, clean out all the offices, wipe out all the evil things that crawl in the streets and maybe take my side for getting rid of Hellboy all in one day. If only I didn't have to hire hundreds of Agents. If only I could use you and use you only." This was the exact introduction Mr. Manning didn't say.
Instead he would just say he was the Director and all things done must be granted by him first, before they did anything stupid.
He kept on pacing back and forth. "Are they here yet Mr. Myers?"
John bit his lip "Doesn't appear that way yet…um…sir."
Tom Manning grunted then continued his nervous pacing. A few seconds later Myers got a phone call, then beckoned Mr. Manning informing him that the three arrived. Manning arranged himself and held his back straight to make a good impression. He also cleared his throat. Myers just watched, thinking Manning was making a big deal over nothing.
The circle floor of the ceiling above came down in the usual "Keep your elbows in or your funny bones might hurt on the way down" procedure. There on the disc coming down stood the three new qualified agents. Jude, Rebecca and Ryan.
Manning clasped his hands. "Ah. Welcome! I am Tom Manning, the Director of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense." He went over to shake hands with Rebecca who seemed amazed by the enormous space they just went into. Then to Jude who was currently smoking a cigarette and wearing shades, then he went to Ryan who just gave him a funny look.
"Uh Yah…I'm sort of paralyzed. So for your information," the spiky hair teenager said "I can't really shake that greasy hand of yours."
"Oh" Mr. Manning looked at his hand. Was it really greasy from that perspective? Don't be mean to a cripple, don't be rude to a paralyzed cripple…He repeated in his head. "Right. Well anyway, Agent Myers will-
"When do we eat? I'm starving." Jude interrupted. "Some crazy old lady was shoving homas and falafel in my face telling me I had to eat it because I am an Isreali or I would melt like a witch. Of course I didn't really want to take it, especially coming from a woman like that."
"You,-
"Oh yah," Rebecca was the second one who interrupted him. "Are you talking about that mad woman near that really good coffee shop down town? She followed me and Ryan on the way home telling us that we needed to lose some fat around our butts or the Gluteus Maximus Fairy will come and take our butts away…she really makes no sense. Me and Ryan were laughing all the way back. We couldn't help it…"
"B-B-But-
The three "to be" agents just kept on interrupting Manning leaving him mindless and walked off in an anonymous direction chatting violently. John Myers gave Manning a look and said "I'll take it from here" and got their luggage to follow them, leaving Manning to be left in the hall alone.
"This will be harder than I thought" Manning peered at the three walking away and getting smaller in his perspective. He would never usually say this but here goes nothing…"Were the hell was Hellboy when I needed him most?"
There's more to come. Sorry I didn't go into full detail about the three agents and their personallities in this chapter and I'm sorry I didn't put Hellboy, Abe and Liz meeting them in this chapter. But for sure the next chapter! For sure for SURE! I'll Also get into more of a mystery/mission soon with the fire that happened to the University at the beggining of this chapter.